A few months ago, I wrote about the things you should be wary of on your search for a family comic book store. In that time, my family and I have been scouring the multitude of comic shops in the Northern Virginia area in the hopes of finding one to call home. Imagine our surprise when we found not one or two….but four comic stores we adore.
We go to each on a weekly (yes, weekly) basis, all because they each serve a different purpose for us. As I introduce each, I’ll share why we adore that store so!
Game on Comics was the third store on our hunt. We visited it immediately after a pretty creepy comic store experience, so I wasn’t at all optimistic. As a matter of fact, I sent my husband in first to scope it out. Within seconds, he was waving us in. And this is what we saw:
Photo credit: Game On Comics
A cozy, inviting little comic book store. Within minutes, we were chatting up with one of the staff (Waves to Mike!) and it felt like we’d been coming here for years. I just had to mention a few titles and was instantly rewarded with several recommendations of other series to try. They weren’t taken aback that I, a female, was interested in comics. Instead, I felt welcomed, like this was Nerd Central, a place we could call home.
My boys also adore this store. It has a nice sized kids section, and the boys don’t get glared at if they begin to page through the issues. Although they aren’t shown here, the store has game tables lined up. My husband enjoys this feature because he likes to add books to his inventory before we leave the store. Yeah, we’re nerdy like that.
So, we opted to set up our pull list here. Game On has a great incentive program for its members. We earn a discount (we’re slowly creeping to the gold membership) and, with each purchase we use rewards that can be used for things like a free drink, etc. What I like best about Game On? They are honest in their recommendations. If you are about to pick a title that is…lacking, they will let you know. They will take a look at your buying habits and recommend titles that they thing you might enjoy. All of this in a few visits. It’s not as if you have to invest a lot of time in cultivating a relationship with them; it’s actually quite instantaneous.
Victory Comics is renowned in the area for a great comic and gaming selection. We go to Victory for variant covers (they have quite a few), plus they have some pretty great merchandise. It is here, on Free Comic Book Day, that Justin got to meet a number of local artists, an opportunity he thoroughly enjoyed. Plus, as an added bonus, this store shelves its comics (most recent issues) already bagged and boarded, something we really appreciated.
The Big Planet location nearest to us is rather small, but it makes up for it in inventory. It carries dozens and dozens of current series, going back several issues. It is here that we stock up on back issues for our collection. Also, they have frequent sales on trades (my kryptonite!). Additionally, I can name an obscure fact about a comic, not remember its name, and they immediately know the series I’m referring to.
4. Comic LogicThis store is just 15 minutes from our house, and the newest of all the stores we’ve visited. It’s only been open, officially, for a little over a month so we haven’t had as many opportunities to visit. Also, since the store is new, they don’t have quite as many back issues. Totally understandable, we’re excited to have a comic store so close to home again!
Do you have a favorite comic book store? What draws you to it?
